Philippe Petit- A Man Unlike Many

Philippe Petit is one of those unique cases of a person that has achieved the highest levels that can be achieved. The documentary Man on Wire is a testament to the achievements of his accomplices and himself. However, in seeing the documentary, something jumped out to me regarding the aftermath of the journey compared to many similar instances. In such a case where the end goal of many years of work has cultivated, many have experienced a depressive reality of not having a goal that could ever match with that of the, by all means, “last goal.” Some notable examples of this are the experiences of Buzz Aldrin after the first moon landing and Allison Schmitt’s winning of five medals and setting a world record in the 2012 London Olympic Games. These two, notably, suffered a loss of meaning in their lives and experienced, what I can only describe as, post-achievement depression.

In contrast, the behavior exhibited by Petit throughout the documentary exudes the antithesis to that; a clear excitement over having done such an impossible task. This confidence is seen throughout the documentary and from all his friends that were interviewed. Petit had a clear goal in mind and, when it was finally completed, relished in his glory. From all that is seen of this remarkable man, it is safe to say that he is odd and, as stated by his friends, able to draw anyone into his crazy schemes from his sheer amount of charismatic presence.